Students who paid their fees in full at the beginning of the year will be given a €1,000 refund, the Higher Education Minister has said.

Previously, the student contribution for third-level education was €3,000 but on Budget Day last month, it was announced the Department of Higher Education had agreed to reduce them to €2,000.

“I want to put money back in the pockets of students and their parents,” Minister Simon Harris said.

“That’s why in the Budget we reduced college fees for 96,000 students. 

“This means all eligible full-time undergraduate students will see their fees reduced by at least a €1,000. 

“If you have paid the fees in full, your college will have been in touch or will be in touch by the end of this month to get your bank details so they can arrange for you to get a refund.” 

Cost of living still high

The news reduces the cost of being a student but many are still paying significant sums in rent for poor-standard accommodation. 

Other young people are even choosing to study abroad because of the lower cost of living. 

"We pay more for food than the EU average here in Ireland,” one student told Newstalk. 

“We pay more for transport than the EU average - rental prices increase every year for student accommodation too - we've some of the highest rental costs in Europe.

"Our utility bills are the highest in the EU, our car prices are third-highest in Europe.

"All these things add up over time, and unfortunately a lot of students end up working minimum wage jobs due to being underskilled - and not having the time to work full-time obviously.

"It's just one of many different things".

Main image: Students at Trinity College, Dublin. Image: Mark Henderson / Alamy